Carol Barnes

           

Horses and riding have been one of my life long passions, so what better way to do that than to ride on a drill team.  Having to ride my horse once or twice a week practicing, clipping and bathing her, and performing has been no sacrifice.  I have been fortunate to be able to do this since 1982 and I haven’t regretted it a moment. Christmas 2002, I was honored with a "20 Year Belt Buckle".  What an honor!

My main two horses have been quarter horse mares, Espree & Jessie.  A few quarter horse geldings Mountain Dew, Kidd, and Cimmaron filled in the years the mares were with foals.  All of these horses have given their ‘all’ whenever it was asked of them. This year I will be starting a new horse named Josie.  I am hoping that everything will work out really well with her.

            I was lucky to have my daughter, Tami, ride with me the first 6-8 years I was a Mountette. Tami rode as a ‘mini’ until she was old enough to become a ‘maxi’.  She then married and moved away and I was on my own in riding.  Later, she moved back and was able to ride a couple more years, until she and her husband started a family and moved away again.

            The Mountettes have always been an important part of my life.  How many horse lover/riders are able to travel in state, out of state and internationally (Canada) and perform in front of large audiences?

            Since becoming a Mountette, my husband, John, and I have had our children grow up, get married and give us grandchildren.  At present count we have eight grandkids, two girls and six boys.

            John and I have busy lives and are active in church, attend University of Montana Griz games, and ride our horses along with John’s umpiring and now Sheriff Department Reserve Deputy duties.  We have four golden retrievers, two cats, three horses, and six cow/calves.

            Being a part of the Mountette family has been a wonderful rewarding experience.  Many gals have become great friends.  I wouldn’t trade this for anything and I hope I am able to continue for many more years.

 

Robin Bolin
My name is Robin Bolin and I have ridden with the Bitterroot Mountettes since I was 15. I have only taken off one year since this time, and have been a ground crew person for two years while I was pregnant with my children. I have an 8 year old daughter, and a 4 year old son. I have ridden approximately 9 different horses over the past 18 years as a member. Up until I turned 30, I had at least one "accident" during the course of our riding season. I’m not sure if it was the quality of horses I have ridden, or the fact that someone has to hit the dirt one time in the season, and I felt I would take the pressure off everyone else, but I have since relinquished this responsibility to someone younger in our group. I did however break my nose in a collision at State Competition in Bozeman two years ago, and last year I ripped my shoulder up trying to do a front flip with my horse in the middle of drill practice.  Each year the acrobatics get better, we need to start taping them!

Last year we had a great year traveling to the PNWDTA, and our State competition in Kalispell, MT, and also the Idaho State Competition in New Plymouth, ID.  I have made lasting friendships within my group that I will treasure forever. Us drill team people are a different breed, and we are not only competitive, but honest and open minded, and I think that drill teams are now respected around the country more than ever. I hope to have the Mountettes a part of my life for another 18 years, that is if my body can take the abuse. 

 

 

 

 

Cindi Bratvold

I have been riding with The Bitterroot Mountettes since 1990.  I love it!  When I joined, I was fairly new to the horse world and I have learned so much!  We have a great group.  We are all such good friends- our husbands are friends, and even our kids have pretty much grown up together. 

I ride a Bay Tobiano Paint named  "Peppys J.R."  (J.R.)  We also have two other horses: Lady and Angel.   I have been married for 24 years to Tracy, and have 3 kids.  Kelli who is 23, Adam is 21 and Laura is 17.  We have three dogs:  Tootsie is a chocolate lab, Mo is a black lab and Silly Tilly is a yellow.   We also have a cat who is a little crazy named "Ellie Mae the Boy" and a kitty named Jasmine.  And we can't forget Mikey the bird.  We live up in the woods out of Darby, Montana- one of the most beautiful places in the world.  My husband and I own a business named "Whispeirng Turbines, Inc.".  We repair and overhaul gas turbine engines for helicopters and race boats (unlimited hydroplanes and off-shore racers).  Our son works for us also, so it is a small but great family business.   

Besides Mountettes, I love to quilt, sew, knit and travel with my husband.  Life is busy, but not too busy to have great friends, and time for my fun love- HORSES! 

 

Tori Muscutt

Hi, my name is Tori Muscutt.  I am what you would call a drill brat.  I became involved with drill when I was about twelve.  My mom, four of my aunts, and one of my cousins have also been in The Bitterroot Mountettes, so I definitely grew up with drill on my mind.  

I am 26 years old, not married yet, and I am owned by two cats named Butler & Gismo and two dogs named Bane & Rowdie.  Besides horses, my hobbies are Scrap booking, reading Nora Roberts books, watching movies and generally having fun!  

I have two jobs one is working for one of my good friends Robin Gile who is also in Mountettes.  She owns a mortgage company, and I am her assistant.  The other is for a ranch called Majik Arabians.  I go up there and feed their horses.  I have been doing that for 2 years and it is a lot of fun.  I love the spring when all the babies start to arrive!  Three years ago they  went out of town and I got to deliver a colt all by my self.  Turned out I fell in love with him and I am now in the process of buying him.  His name is Majik Eclipse.  He is a 1/2 QH 1/2 Arab bay w/ no white. I have really high hopes that he will be the drill horse I have been looking for.  A little bit of spunk and a bunch of size.

This last fall I got another horse.  He is a big 1/2 Percheron, 1/2 Tennessee Walker.  His name is Moose and I am having a lot of fun with him also.  

Two years ago I was asked to be the team's drill coach.  I really had a lot of fun doing this.  They have asked me again this year and I am thrilled to do it again. 

 

Valisa Pancake

My name is Valisa Pancake.  I am 28 years old and this is my 7th year riding with the Bitterroot Mountettes.  My husband’s name is Chad and I have two boys, Jace who is 6 years old and Kyler who is 3 years old.  I work in the Real Estate Department at Washington Corporations in Missoula, MT.  My mom, Judy Vernier, is also a Mountette.

 I have chosen to ride with the Bitterroot Mountettes because I love to ride.   My husband hunts and I ride, that’s what keeps the peace in the house.   My horse, Sky, is a 14-year-old paint gelding and if I weren’t involved with the Mountettes he would probably never get ridden.  He is quite a handful (sometimes) and  considering this is his 7th year you think all the excitement would become old news to him. 

  My favorite Mountette memory is riding at the Calgary Stampede in 2000.  The Saddle Dome was amazing and the whole stampede experience was so much fun.  I hope they will host another drill team competition in the future.  I would love to go back.

 I plan on riding with the Mountettes for as long as my busy schedule allows.  

 

 

Karen Rimel

Hi my name is Karen, I am the official Pooper Scooper for the Mountettes.  My daughter wanted to ride with them so I started going along.  My daughter is now in college and does not have as much time in the summer to fit in the team but I still go with them.  I’ve been with the team for four years as the ground crew.  I love being with the women laughing, sweating and traveling.  The food, gin and tonics and margaritas aren’t bad either.